First report of Sarcocystis halieti (Apicomplexa) in bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)

AbstractAt least threeSarcocystis species (S. falcatula, S. halieti andS. wobeseri–like) have been detected infecting raptorial birds. By histopathology and PCR-sequencing of the ITS1 marker,S. halieti was detected in a bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and a black kite (Milvus migrans) from the Catalonia region in North Spain. The 241  bp-long sequences obtained from theSarcocystis organisms detected in both raptors showed 97.5 –99.6% and 97.9–100% similarity with those of previously identifiedS. halieti; also, the phylogenetic trees generated placed the identified sequences together with other sequences ofS. halieti available in GenBank. In sum, the description of the bearded vulture as a new intermediate host forS. halieti adds new insights on the complex epidemiology of the genus involving avian hosts.
Source: Veterinary Research Communications - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research